General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[westwardloo]

Eeesh, nothing like painting red brick greyish white. I think they might be putting lipstick on a Pig with this one. I wonder if this is a solution to extend the lifecycle of the brick?

Painting brick doesn't extend its lifespan does it? Brick will last a century or more...I had a century home with original brick in perfectly good condition.

Paint on the other hand will need redoing every 5 years or so.

It's really for that reason that I hate painting of brick...although sometimes it does look good but again, only if maintenance is done regularly.

It depends on the type of bricks used. Brick is a very porous material and is effected by freeze thaw cycles more then other material. It also completely depends on the installation. If there are not a sufficient air space behind the brick with weep holes and a proper gap at the top to allow air movement behind the bricks.  They will not dry and will become brittle and decay a lot quicker then 100 years. A paint coat could prevent water absobtion in the brick which could extend its lifespan, or the paint could trap moisture in the brick cause it to deteriorate faster.  Saying this I hate when people paint their beautiful old brick house. Buy a stucco house if you want to paint it.